Choosing the right bass hook for Texas rigging worms and flipping/pitching baits can be a confusing process when you consider the endless varieties of hook styles, not to mention thousands of different plastics. Gerald Swindle simplifies the process by carrying two common hook types – the EWG (extreme wide gap) and straight shank flipping hook varieties.
His biggest consideration for hook style relates to the bulk of the plastic – bulkier bodied baits require more hook gap for solid hooksets…EWGs get the nod here. Slim-bodied worms don’t occupy a lot of gap, so straight shank varieties excel with worms and other thin plastics. The thickness of the cover factors in next; sleek plastics with minimal appendages rigged on a straight shank hook slide through cover with fewer hangups than EWGs.
Once you land on the right hook style, hook size becomes the next decision. Common sense dictates the longer the bait, the bigger the hook and vice versa.
